1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a link mechanism protection structure for a saddle type vehicle including a link guard for covering, from below, a link mechanism connected to a body frame, a swing arm and a shock absorber unit.
2. Description of Background Art
A technique for realizing both assured strokes at normal times with a reliable load bearing in a fully collapsed or contracted (full-stroke) state of a shock absorber unit is known with a swing arm type suspension in which a link mechanism is provided at a lower end portion of a shock absorber unit. See, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 62-105892.
The aforementioned link mechanism is composed of comparatively small component parts and includes movable parts. Accordingly, there has been a demand for avoiding collision of muddy water, sand, rock or the like against the link mechanism.
In this mechanism it is contemplated to cover the lower side of the link mechanism with a skid plate. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 62-105892 discloses a structure in which a swing arm is covered over a wide range by a skid plate. The disclosed structure, however, has a problem in that the unsprung weight is likely to become larger.